Many cuts of meats, fish or poultry require tenderizing before consumption, and presently there are various means available for accomplishing this. Chemical tenderizers have been used extensively for tenderizing meats; however, whenever chemicals are used there are many inherent drawbacks. The two most serious drawbacks to chemical tenderizers are high cost and flavor causing changes in the meat. While certain of these compositions have attained some degree of commercial success, there remains a sacrifice of real meat flavor when these additives are used. The basic principle upon which these chemicals operate is to chemically break down the tissue of the meat and thereby soften the meat for consumption.
The other type of meat tenderizer in use today is the mechanical tenderizer which is far superior to the chemical tenderizer in many ways. Some of the mechanical means used are very basic methods, such as pounding or surface treating of the meats, while other used mechanical devices are more sophisticated apparatuses involving the use of piercing element blades and the like. Most of the mechanical tenderizers are large, expensive mechanical tenderizers are large, expensive pieces of commercial equipment that are somewhat complicated to use. The more practical and popular mechanical meat tenderizer is the hand used device, that is designed and intended for home use. Typical of these devices are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 207,107 issued Aug. 20, 1878; 215,511 issued May 20, 1879; 863,717 issued Aug. 20, 1907; 3,611,476 issued Oct. 12, 1971; and 4,199,841 issued Apr. 29, 1980. While a hand operated tenderizer is desirable in many ways, the one serious drawback seems to be in cleaning the device thoroughly after use. Some of the devices cannot be disassembled, thus must be cleaned from the exterior. Other devices such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,841 can be easily disassembled, but frequent disassembly because of frequent use can be inconvenient and bothersome. Since the use of these tenderizers is primarily by the housewife, she generally does not have the time nor inclination to test her mechanical skills on constructing and taking apart mechanical apparatuses. Because the hand tenderizer accumulates meat and fat particles when used, it could cause an unsanitary situation if these particles are permitted to remain in the device. In the cleaning operation, water or other liquids accumulate in the interior of the tenderizer casing and could become stagnant if permitted to remain. Also, it is just as important that the interior of the machines or devices be clean as it is for the exterior of the casing or blades. Also, it is frequently required to disassemble the tenderizer for lubrication where moving parts or springs are utilized. Another drawback on tenderizers such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,841 is that the cover for protecting the blades has a tendency to loosen and fall off or away from the main structure, thereby exposing the blades and meat contacting portion to the possibility of contamination or other unsanitary conditions when not in use.